'I'm very proud of the old girl'

©IWM

John Harrison: “And there was this beautiful cruiser Belfast, not HMS, just Belfast. I introduced myself to the skipper that was there, and he said, “oh, you're Harrison.” I said, “that's right, Sir.” He said, “you’re the ordnance artificer, you are responsible only to the guns, sights, directors, nothing else, is that understood?” Listen. I mean, what else can you say? When I first joined the Belfast, it was like going into a house which had just been built, renovated, everything was sparkling new and you were just like, well heaven to a gunnery man, which I was. It was a responsible job because when you come to think of it, that's the only thing that, that, this, these ships are for carrying guns around and when they’re wanted, those guns had got to be perfect. It was our job to make them perfect. I was in charge of A-turret, that's the one right at the front. I thought, ‘that’s very nice, if anything happens, that's going to be terribly difficult to get out in the dark’. And it was. I was down in my working area suddenly my head went into my shoulders; I could feel it and the deck bounced about a foot. I thought ‘well, that’s not normal’. The bouncing gradually faded away and it all went very, very quiet and I came out in the top and I opened the hatch and water pouring on our head. I thought ‘oh my god, we’ve sunk’.  Well, it turned out that there was a fire hose which had been distorted by the blast and was directed straight onto his hatch, which I was coming out of. We weren't sinking at all. But we realised that that, that, there had been an awful lot of damage. We were towed back to Rosyth and if we hadn't been an all welded ship, we would have sunk because the welding was torn apart, but it held. So, there's great credit to the Welders of Belfast. I’ve seen the Belfast when it was not commissioned, and I followed its history right the way through and I'm very proud of the old girl. There’s just something about some ships you love as soon as you go on. From the moment I went on it when it was just ordinary, an ordinary ship called the Belfast, there was something. I don't know what it is. But it was, it’s there, you can feel it. And I felt it, it was lovely.”

John Harrison was a Petty Officer Ordnance Artificer with the Royal Navy when he joined HMS Belfast in 1939. He served in the ship during the early months of her service off the coast of Great Britain and the Atlantic. He was on board when the ship hit a magnetic mine in the Firth of Forth.

The damage to the ship was so severe that she was out of action for three years. John remained in the navy but did not return to serve in HMS Belfast during the war.

HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast 80: Ron Yardley

Ron Yardley joined HMS Belfast as she prepared to head to Korea - he recalls how difficult it was to get his bearings in those early days but he remembers the ship fondly.

Learn more about HMS Belfast's life of service in our special interactive telling the story of the ship and the men who called her home. 

HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast 80: Mike Matthews

Mike Matthews served on board HMS Belfast as she neared the end of her active life at sea. He remembers the adventure he had getting on board for the first time, life on the ship and how he learned how stay warm on long night shifts. 

Veterans of HMS Belfast pose for photos on board, March 16 2018
HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast veterans remember their ship

HMS Belfast veterans John Harrison, Ron Yardley and Mike Matthews remember their beloved ship by telling stories of their experiences on board.

HMS Belfast
© IWM
Museum

HMS Belfast

Step on board this iconic London landmark. Navigate your way around the rooms of this floating city, climbing up and down ladders to visit all nine decks.

Photo of HMS Belfast's forward guns with the bridge in the background
©IWM
Second World War

8 Things you Didn't Know about HMS Belfast and D-Day

On 6 June 1944, HMS Belfast lead the opening bombardment of Operation Overlord - the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France. Discover 8 things you didn't know about the role HMS Belfast played in the largest naval, air and land operation in history.